New Ghoulsburg
New Ghoulsburg is a community along the Flint River in Michigan. Originally established as a haven for Ghouls, the community has become more and more militant over time, leading to it's participation in the Flint River War. History Pre-War and Early Years the community that would eventually become New Ghoulsberg has its origins in the pre-war industry of the area. Decades of industrialisation with only minimal oversight had left the Flint River heavily polluted and contaminated with industrial runoff, trace metal and chemicals and so on. Much of this was quietly swept under the rug as big businesses continued to operate without restrictions, especially those that were deemed 'vital' to military efforts. The Great War only exacerbated these problems; the atomic fallout and runoff from destroyed communities added a new level of toxicity to the water. Within the Flint River watershed area, clean water became a vital resource, one that was in short supply. Those communities remaining within the area would often fight each other in order to secure supplies and stay alive. Within many of these communities, Ghouls became unwelcome. With their ability to survive and even thrive in conditions that would kill a normal human, many were seen as taking advantage of the situation. An 'us against them' mentality began to form among many of the region's humans, aimed at driving out the Ghouls who they felt were thriving at their expense. Racial tensions lead to strong divides, with many Ghouls forced out of communities. After several massacres lead by raiders from the Flint ruins, a number of Ghouls came together in order to build their own community where they would be safe from racial violence at least. Unwilling or unable to leave the Flint River region, these outcasts eventually settled in an abandoned industrial estate north-west of Flint in 2230. The new community developed the unofficial nickname of Ghoultown from outsiders, and those within found that it stuck. Those inside tried to have as little as they could do with the rest of the world, figuring that since they had been cast out, they would reject those who had forsaken them. Unfortunately, independence and isolation was still no guarantee of safety. The inhabitants of Ghoultown still needed supplies to live off, and that bought them into conflict with the other inhabitants of the region. Clashes between them and other communities along the river became common, only contributing to the never-ending cycle of violence in the region. For Ghoultown, like everywhere else along the Flint River, peace was merely a break between battles. Militarization The biggest change in Ghoultown's fortunes came in 2273 with the arrival of a newcomer to the community. Trenton Dingler was a self-proclaimed Ghoul Militant who preached a radical stance of taking war to the humans. In his eyes it was not enough for Ghouls to protect themselves from humans; rather, they needed to actively fight back against them and to carve out their own lands. Trenton's words quickly found favour among the populace, but it was his ability to back them up with actions that really won them over. To prove himself, Dingler launched several 'expeditionary' missions against nearby raider camps, aided by several other volunteers. These attacks were successful, eliminating several raider bands who had been preying on the community. It was not just his skill with firearms that impressed them; Dingler made use of unexpected and unusual tactics to win the day, such as herding Feral Ghouls towards the raiders to act as a distraction. In short order, Dingler was a local hero. Using his newfound popularity, Dingler began to organise the town's forces along more military lines. Acknowledging their lack of numbers, he instead tried to make the best use of the forces at his disposal. While their equipment was often mismatched and made of whatever they could salvage, Dingler did his best to train his new army and give them the knowledge and tactics that they would need to make the most of their situation. Under his leadership, the so-called Ghoul Liberation Army began to attack other groups in the Flint River region, aimed at wiping them out. Several victories against the Wastors and other Raiders created a buffer zone of relative safety around the community; it also made Dinger a hero to its people. In 2275, the community was renamed to New Ghoulsburg at his suggestion. While Dingler wasn't the leader of the town, he was its most powerful man no less. The Flint River War The rise of the Forgemaster and their strong anti-Ghoul stance bought even more converts to Dingler's cause, both those displaced from the Foundry and others from the region who suddenly had good reason to fear for their futures. Over the summer of 2280, Trenton's Ghoul Liberation Army swelled as he played off the fears of the desperate and suddenly homeless. At the same time, he actively encouraged fears that the Forgemaster might come after them next, building an air of paranoia that only lent more weight to his cause. Despite this paranoia, Trenton was receptive towards the Exaxes Warband's overtures. While he had no love for the Decimators, there was a certain personal satisfaction to him that came from knowing that they had a common enemy in the form of the Fort Frost Guard. As much as he disliked the Decimators, the Guard had hurt and humiliated him on a more personal level; so much so that he was eager to side with their enemies. At the same time, the promise of destroying the Forge also held a lot of appeal to him. His rise to power had been aided by positioning the Forge as his community's greatest threat, and eliminating them would go a long way towards his goal of creating a separate Ghoul homeland (with him in charge, of course). While being incorporated into an alliance with local raiders rankled many of the GLA's members, Dingler was able to mollify them by getting them to focus on the greater objective. He sold them on the safety that their victory would bring to new Ghoulsburg by eliminating the Forge, as well as the idea that such an alliance would be only temporary anyway. New Ghoulsburg itself was not directly effected by the war. The front lines of the conflict didn't come close to the city, and after the tide turned in their favour, the forces of the Forge were more focused on eliminating the Exaxes, who they saw as the single greatest threat. Sure enough, as soon as the Exaxes pulled back, the alliance fell apart as the survivors of the conflict became more focused on their own needs rather than trying to maintain an army that had lost its core. Within New Ghoulsburg, however, the repercussions were more personal. The city's leaders turned on Dingler, blaming him for getting them involved in somebody else's war for his own gain, The deaths of many of Dinger's closer followers left him short on allies, and many of those who had fought under him chose to turn on him for their own benefit. In short order, the GLA was dissolved and Dingler was forced into exile from the city. Description Before the war, the New Ghoulsburg area was an industrial park located along the Flint River. It featured a mixture of heavy industry and warehouses, as well as road and rail links to the region. Many of the structures survived the war, but were abandoned as supplies ran out and the river water became too heavily contaminated. While they may have been temporary homes for transients or raiders in past, for the most part the buildings sat idle for decades. Today a number of the buildings are rather run down, and sport makeshift repairs. Shanties built out of salvaged material are also abundant in the town. The town is surrounded by walls made from wood, scrap metal and other junk, with watch towers placed at key points. Access is restricted to a single main gate, with a secondary gate by the river. Government The city's distinct 'us against the world' mentality means that protection of the community as a whole takes priority over any semblance of democracy. Leadership comes at the point of a gun, albeit one that is supposedly aimed at the enemy. If a leader is able to protect the people and ward off attackers, then they are liable to remain in power. One that fails their duties or becomes excessively dictatorial is liable to find themselves removed from power by the heavily armed population. The idea of protecting the city from the world at large is usually enough to curb excesses and prevent abuse of power. The external threats are so pressing that that nobody wants to have to deal with internal ones as well. Effectively, everyone in the city is a part of the militia as well. Everybody is armed, and everybody is expected to fight if needs be. However, for the most part, the population are more focused on defending the city and its people then attacking others. When they do mount armed expeditions, it is usually to gather resources or trade rather than to mount raids. Most of their arsenal consists of makeshift pipe weapons or old pistols and hunting rifles, with the odd smattering of military weapons. The losses suffered in the Flint River War cost the community most of its advanced weaponry and equipment. Despite his popularity, Trenton Dinger was never the leader of New Ghoulsburg. He felt that he would be better employed by focusing on the Ghoul Liberation Army and purely military matters, while leaving the actual running of the city to others. Likewise, the GLA was seen as a separate armed force outside the militia's control. With its dissolution, its surviving members have either been folded back into the militia or been exiled from the community. Category:Communities Category:Places Category:Michigan